He won 900 million in the lottery.

Good people can't do business.

It's been 40 days since I returned from Shanghai.

I'm staring blankly at my phone, because gold prices have gone up again.

I sat by the roadside smoking, one cigarette after another, because I had nowhere else to go.

Luckily, I received a phone call at noon from my landlady. She wanted to meet me with her daughter.

I refused over the phone because I wasn't sure if the other party was a scammer. If it was a legitimate transaction, wouldn't I be ruining the trust between us?

But in the end, I was easily swayed, just like I couldn't stand seeing others in misery.

I met at the company.

Landlord: "Hello, I've arrived."

I went over and opened the door.

The two people walked in cautiously, as if afraid that I was also the swindler who cheated them out of their money.

I find that funny too.

Landlord: "This is my daughter, Qiuya."

Me: "Please sit down."

Qiuya: "Thank you."

Her daughter doesn't dress up like her at all; instead, she looks like a country girl.

An elegant yet haggard mother.

My daughter doesn't know how to dress up and is unremarkable.

Qiuya wore glasses with thick lenses, suggesting a high prescription. Her hair was casually tied up with a black hair tie. Her clothes were grayish-brown, paired with coffee-colored pants. This kind of girl doesn't know how to dress herself up or exude youthful energy.

Like her mother, she is probably kind-hearted by nature.

Me: "I happened to chat with your mother this morning. Since I've done e-commerce on Douyin, I asked her a few questions. What brings you here today?"

Qiuya: "Those people are scammers, but we have no way to deal with them right now, and we don't dare to directly ask them for money back."

Me: "It seems you've already looked into it?"

Qiuya: "Hmm. I found our own products online, and they're selling them at a loss, their ultimate goal is to make money."

This explains why, even with high sales volume, monthly settlement is required; the proceeds from selling at a loss will inevitably be insufficient to cover future payments.

Me: "What are your plans?"

Qiuya: "Brother, I just graduated from university. I have no connections or network. My mother runs a factory and is just an ordinary family. She doesn't know anything about this. I called and consulted a lawyer. The best outcome is to sue them, but the contract is signed by a company, which is likely an empty shell. The e-commerce payments are made to individuals, and there is no money in the company account. Our goal is to get the money."

Qiuya's cognitive logic is very mature and clear, and her communication style is completely different from that of Chunqiu, Liu Yiting, and Xiaomai.

Me: "Sueing a lawsuit only confirms the debt; if you don't get the money, it will only alert the other party."

Qiuya nodded: "That's exactly what I mean. We had no other choice. I heard my mother say that you could tell from just a few words that the other party might be trying to scam money. I thought you must be a worldly and capable person, so we just grabbed at this straw to save our lives."

The girl was very honest and spoke eloquently, making me feel both helpless and without any sense of moral blackmail.

The key issue is that Qiuya's outfit gives off a Cinderella vibe, and overall it's just—not pretty.

Therefore, the reality is cruel.

I leaned back in my chair: "Why should I help you?"

I admit I like to do good deeds, but I am also fickle.

I'm more worried about getting into trouble if I fail to catch the fox.

Just as the landlord was about to speak, Qiuya reached out and grabbed her mother's hand.

Qiuya: "If you can help us get the money back, I'll give you a commission."

Commission?

This is probably the limit of what a recent college graduate can think.

I didn't rush to answer, but instead started making tea and poured a cup for the mother and daughter.

Collecting debts and making money aligns perfectly with my logic and motivation.

But I have deeper thoughts.

"You guys go back first. Qiuya, come to the company again tonight, and I'll decide then whether I'm willing to help you."

The mother and daughter thanked them and left.

The loss of several million yuan must have brought this ordinary family to the brink of despair. It's just unknown how much they will have to pay.

"bite."

I opened WeChat on my phone and saw a friend, Chen Sheng, a friend I used to be very close to, but who later became estranged from me.

Nothing more than monetary gain.

At the beginning of the year before last, the two of us started an e-commerce company together. Yes, that's the Douyin e-commerce company I mentioned.

The budget is limited; it covers rent, utilities, renovations, and sample goods.

It totaled 5 yuan.

We operate a product selection center, not just a sales channel.

The main purpose is to provide supply chains and products for livestreamers who want to sell products.

Looking back now, I realize that my idea was indeed a bit naive. With e-commerce suppliers everywhere and Douyin having its own product selection alliance, setting up my own product selection center would obviously have resulted in losses.

Naturally, this collaboration did result in a loss.

Our company went under, and everyone who invested 25,000 yuan lost it all.

However, Chen Sheng took everything away, including the computer, live streaming equipment, tables, chairs, and benches.

I have nothing, and of course, I didn't ask for anything, including the remaining rent deposit.

But just because I don't want it doesn't mean he can refuse to give it to me.

Perhaps we both harbor some resentment, so let's just let it go.

He continued his Douyin (TikTok) operations, and I continued my online entrepreneurship.

There has been no further interaction.

Chen Sheng: "I heard you're back. I have a new project here, would you like to come and take a look?"

People are just that realistic. I guess his new project is indeed very profitable, but he must be short of people or money in the early stages.

What project could have made him break his rule of not contacting me for over a year?

I'm curious too.

Of course, I'm also a bit cheeky, so I replied on WeChat: "Okay, when?"

Chen Sheng: "Tomorrow morning." [Location]

I can."

It's like two people with ulterior motives, each harboring their own thoughts about the other, deliberately forgetting past unpleasantness and starting afresh.

night.

Qiuya arrived as promised, but it seems she misunderstood me?

Qiuya, who came tonight, had obviously dressed up; she had removed her thick glasses and was wearing colored contact lenses.

The clothes also became more distinct in color.

Light eyeshadow, killer red lips.

The stark contrast made me subconsciously swallow, while simultaneously giving a puzzled look.

Qiuya's eyes were a little red, and it was clear that she had cried that afternoon.

So that's how it is. Qiuya realized today that I was observing her carefully?

However, this young girl who had just graduated misunderstood what I meant. After an afternoon of inner struggle, she made what she considered the greatest sacrifice—her physical chastity—in exchange for more than 400 million yuan, enough to overwhelm her family.

Some people look down on this, thinking it's the beginning of depravity, but in my opinion, it's precisely Qiuya's rare quality and courage.

My company needs exactly this kind of person.

Of course, the reason I invited Qiuya here tonight is to discuss the exchange of benefits, specifically the issue of her working at my company.

This afternoon, I need time to think about how to make this girl completely devoted to me.

The debt of 400 million yuan is not enough to repay the favor; there are just too many ungrateful people in society these days.

I did consider deliberately sabotaging the deal and plunging the mother and daughter into despair.

Finally, he appeared before them as a "savior".

In this way, the mother and daughter will be completely under my control.

However, it seems I have a better solution.